


Taking Things without Asking

by prompt_fills



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 00:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11978172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompt_fills/pseuds/prompt_fills
Summary: Medieval!AU in which Sergio isnota thief and Fernando isnota stable boy.ForLuna's prompt that says:I stole your horse when I was running from someone, now I came to return it, please don’t be mad.





	Taking Things without Asking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lunasenzanotte](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunasenzanotte/gifts).



“Seize him!”

Sergio dodges the arms that are trying to catch him.

“Stop him! Somebody stop him!”

Sergio sprints across the courtyard where he vaults himself over a wall and shakes off a hand that grabs his ankle. _Too close, too close._ He curses under his breath as he lands on his feet. To his left is a gateway – he can’t go there, all the commotion that follows at his heels would alert the guards and then he’d be in trouble. He would be in more trouble than he is now, that is.

He dashes to his right, quickly making his way through the narrow alleys. Oh boy, the things he’d do for his sister.

He jumps onto wine barrels and leaps up, catching himself on the ledge of a house. He pulls himself up on the roof and runs across the ridges. He makes it to the battlements that help him get around this part of the castle quickly but he can’t stay there long because his fleeting silhouette is up there for everyone to see.

The first chance he gets, he scales down to the walls of the church’s chapel, drops to the roof of the priest’s house and from there it’s just a small jump and he’s back on the ground, finally in the outer court.

He chances a quick glance over his shoulder. He’s not safe yet.

For all the planning he’s done about how to break in, he didn’t quite think this part through. He snuck in unseen all right, but then as he was making his escape, he bumped into a sodding flowerpot that crashed to the ground and made several curious heads pop out from the windows.

It’s getting dark but it’s not yet dark enough that they don’t see him. They might not recognize him but if Sergio is caught, it’s the end of him.

Now that his brilliant plan to ‘quietly disappear’ is out of the question, he has to whip up a new plan on the fly.

Sergio bolts down the path to the stables. People are stopping to ogle him as he flies past them but so far, no one has stopped him.

He runs along the pen, gaining a few curious looks from the horses that stop their grazing long enough to watch him.

In the distance, someone is shouting and though the wind is strong enough to muffle the exact words, Sergio knows it’s only a couple of seconds before his pursuers catch up with him.

He hardly stops to think before he does it. He jumps the fence, ignoring an angry yell from the keeper as he dashes towards the horses.

It’s a love at first sight for Sergio. He makes a beeline for a huge stallion that is dark as sin and its coat is glowing in the settling sun. It watches Sergio with a very focused glare, its ears are pulled back and tail swishing up and down. It nostrils flare as it draws in air and Sergio marvels at the sight.

“No! Don’t!”

Sergio doesn’t care for any unsolicited advice. Plus, he doesn’t have time. He approaches the horse from the front so it sees his every movement and doesn’t get the chance to kick him in his guts. Sergio reaches his hands out and the horse’s demeanour changes. When it doesn’t bite his head off, Sergio steps closer. The horse sniffs him and Sergio feels confident to stroke its nose and face. The horse allows it, so Sergio runs his hands along its neck as he walks to its side and hauls himself up.

There is a tense moment when the horse goes back to being agitated but Sergio doesn’t let it get any ideas. It doesn’t take long and they are galloping towards the other side of the pen. Sergio presses on the gas and they pick up speed.

“No! Stop!”

Sergio snorts and charges forward. He lets the horse judge the distance and then they take a big leap over the fence.

“You’ll get yourself killed!”

The horse is a dream, Sergio thinks appreciatively as they gallop away from the castle. Sure it is a bit feisty but it’s nothing a firm handling won’t tame. Sergio looks back to see the stable boy watching them, flabbergasted. Sergio gives him a little taunting wave. The guy’s expression turns to horrified and Sergio laughs, confident he’s getting away with it.

They disappear into the forest and Sergio eases the horse into a trot. It’s not a long way home and he knows the forest like the back of his hand.

His enthusiasm subsides the closer to their home he gets. He can’t quite take the horse with him. One look at the horse and it’s clear it isn’t from their village. It’s a damn fine horse.

By the time they make it through the wood, Sergio is already feeling guilty.

The expression on the stable boy’s face is fresh in his mind – the wide eyes and the freckled cheeks flushing bright red, the dawning realisation that Sergio managed to snuck the horse away right front under the guy’s watchful eye.

Darn it all, the poor guy’s going to be punished for the theft for sure.

Sergio slows to a halt.

Bloody hell.

It’s already dark when Sergio circles back to the castle, cursing himself silly. He pauses at the edge of the forest, going over everything in his head once again. Safely hidden by the shade of the trees, he watches the lights from the town on the hill high above him. The castle is asleep, only the torches on the watchtowers are burning bright. If he avoids getting too close, he can sneak in, return the horse and ‘quietly disappear’ as planned.

It’s the right thing to do. Plus, Sergio is no thief.

The golden locket is a heavy weight in his pocket but that one is not technically stolen.

The horse pawns the ground and Sergio absent-mindedly strokes its neck. “I know, but what if they catch me?”

The horse lets out a snort, lowering its neck to inspect something on the ground.

“You’re right. Of course you’re right,” Sergio sighs. The poor stable boy have been gobsmacked and frozen to the spot when he saw Sergio make away with the horse. Sergio doesn’t like to dwell on what kind of punishment could be bestowed on the boy if the horse is really as noble as it seems.

The horse shifts its weight, disinterested in Sergio’s struggle.

“I swear I’m really going this time,” Sergio huffs and nudges the horse into motion.

They move quietly through the night, getting closer and closer to the stables without running into anyone. Sergio gets off the horse with ease, gently landing on the grass near the stables and leading the horse inside.

There is an empty stall and all Sergio has to do is let the horse in, make sure it is dry and that it has both enough water and hay.

It pains him to leave something so beautiful here but the horse would stick out like a sore thumb in their small village. Maybe he should have stolen a more inconspicuous horse he could have kept but then again, this horse caught his attention the moment he laid his eyes on it.

Sergio pats its flank affectionately one the last time – the horse shifts just out of his reach and calmly continues to sip water – and he turns to leave.

He nearly lets out a startled cry when he notices a silhouette leaning against the wall next to the stall. In the moonlight, he can just about recognize it. “What are you doing here?!”

“I believe that should be my question,” the stable boy says, glaring at Sergio. “You stole it and now it’s too much for you to handle so you came to return it and steal some other horse?”

“What? No!” Sergio defensively waves his hands. “I didn’t come to steal the horse in the first place!”

“Oh. So the horse stole itself!”

“I came for something else, I just needed to get away fast and the horse helped, okay? And now I brought it back.”

“You – What?”

“Brought it back. The horse.” Sergio gestures behind him to the stall and says slowly, in case the stable boy is daft, “It’s a horse.”

“It’s not just _a horse_ , you genius,” the guy says exasperatedly. “It’s the prince’s horse.”

“Oh. Goddammit.” Stealing a royal horse, no less. What kind of punishment follows for losing a royal horse when you were supposed to watch over them? Then again, the guy is still here so maybe no one found out or the punishment wasn’t that severe? “I’m so sorry,” Sergio says.

“You should be. Sorry and grateful that it didn’t kill you. You picked the most horrible one there is.”

“Horrible?!” Sergio takes offence on behalf of the horse. “Excuse you, but that horse right here is _magnificent_.”

“No one has ridden on it yet, everyone gets bucked off.”

“I thought you said it belongs to the prince?” Sergio can’t be sure because the light is too low but it looks like there is a faint blush on the guy’s cheeks.

“It was a gift.”

“Look, I’m really sorry but I brought the horse back so maybe now they won’t punish you? I’m sorry if I got you into trouble.”

That makes the guy look up at him sharply. “Punish me?”

Sergio reconsiders the simpleton theory. “Stable boy,” he waves his hand at the guy, “the prince’s horse,” he gestures behind them, “and a thief,” he points to himself.

“Oh dear heavens, you really are an idiot,” the guy stars laughing quietly.

Sergio crosses his arms and waits him out.

Once the guy is done laughing, he asks Sergio, “What did you came for, then, if not for the horse?”

Ah. Sergio considers telling a lie but what harm could it do. He’s feeling plenty guilty as it is and maybe telling the stable boy would relieve his conscience. The guy would surely understand.

“For this,” Sergio says, pulling the golden locket out of his pocket and holding it up so that it sparkles slightly in the cold light of the moon. “It’s for my sister.”

The guy makes a thoughtful noise and his hand moves to touch the locket. Sergio jerks away, hiding the locket back in his pocket. “That one, I’m not returning, no matter what you say.”

“So you _are_ a thief. Should I call the guards on you?”

The guy’s tone is light and teasing but Sergio still tenses up. “Please don’t. I’m not stealing it. It belongs with us. With my family, I mean. I’m Sergio, by the way.”

“Fernando,” the guy says reluctantly. “So what then? Did the evil, nasty king steal it from your family?”

Sergio feels like he’s being mocked. “No.”

“The taxes, then?” Fernando guesses.

“Not quite. It’s a part of the family history, is all.”

“You’d better tell me the story and make me believe you or I’m alerting the guards.”

Sergio doesn’t like the tone at all, so he sneers and leans in close, “What makes you think I won’t slit your throat before you even blink? Like you said, I’m a thief, after all.”

The guy gapes at him and he tries to subtly shift away a little, his whole posture tensing, his hand dropping to his side.

“Relax,” Sergio huffs, “I’m kidding.”

“Oh. Of course. Haha.”

Sergio leans back against the side of the stall. “You sure you want the whole story?”

“Positive,” Fernando nods. He doesn’t step any closer. “But make it quick.”

“It was my grandmother’s and she would always say she’d give it to Miriam, that’s my sister, you know, for her wedding day as a gift so that it stays in the family.”

Fernando nods, shoving his hands into his pocket and leaning against the opposing wall. He makes a gesture for Sergio to go on.

“But then my grandmother outlived my grandfather and we had to leave the town and the family turned poor so my grandma had to give it away. But Miriam is getting married now to a noble man and once I learned where the locket is, I knew I had to steal it back. It’s _the_ perfect gift, you see?”

“I see,” Fernando sighs. “It’s a sweet sentiment, I’m sure your sister will be very pleased. It’s still a theft, though.”

“Oh, well, in that case, I feel obliged to steal one more thing.” Sergio peels himself off the wall and before Fernando can object, he presses a kiss to his lips. He feels the guy’s arms go around him for a moment before he’s pushed away.

Sergio doesn’t wait for the screaming to start and he fleets into the night, quick as a flash.

 

Sergio sleeps in late the next morning because the evening of the previous day left him exhausted. He’s woken up rather rudely by his sister banging on his door.

“Sergio!”

Sergio groans and gets up from the bed. “Just a second! I’m coming.” He knows better than to ignore that particular tone. He yawns, pulling on his trousers from the pile of clothes he left there discarded the last night. When he’s decent, he crosses the room to pull the door open.

Miriam nearly falls in through the door but he catches her. “Oh, Sergio!” She exclaims, throwing her arms around his neck and beaming at him. “How did you do it?” She’s nearly sobbing but if he were to wager, he’d say those were happy tears in her eyes, judging from the way she’s pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. She sniffs, “Seriously. I want to know everything!”

Sergio panics, eyes darting across the room. He doesn’t see the locket lying around anywhere. He wanted to give it to her on her wedding day and not now. How could his sister find out so quickly? His hand pats the pocket where he kept the locket only to find it empty. His heart sinks as he remembers Fernando’s arms sneaking around him the night before. That sly little bastard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he tells Miriam who just laughs and smacks him in his chest.

“Oh you,” she giggles and gives him one more firm squeeze. “I’m so happy, Sergio. Thank you. Let’s go tell mother.”

Only when Miriam pulls away does he notice the letter she’s clutching in her hand. He tugs at it and leads them both downstairs to the breakfast table.

Miriam is basically skipping down the stairs. Sergio quickly reads the letter. It’s a summoning to the royal court and Sergio’s eyes flicker down to see the king’s signature and crest, and for a terrifyingly long fraction of second, Sergio thinks he’s about to be hanged for his crime. But then he actually focuses on the neat writing and realizes it’s something worse.

It’s an invite for Miriam, her family and her husband to be, to receive the blessings for the holy union between her and her fiancé from the king himself.

They are also invited to join the court for a royal banquet.

Sergio can’t think of a way to get out of it.

Miriam is smiling through her tears and Sergio gives the invite back to her and holds her in his arms, trying not to think about how much of a disaster this is going to be when someone in the castle recognizes him from his little adventure.

Hopefully, there won’t be wanted posters.

 

Sergio manages to sneak away from the main group when they arrive at the castle. He keeps away from the main hallways and he is busy hiding behind a statue of a harpy being slain by one of the king’s ancestors, when he hears someone clearing their throat loudly next to him.

Sergio startles, swivelling around. It’s Fernando, only he looks rather different now. “You look – wow. I mean, it’s quite a change from the last time I saw you,” Sergio stammers, fighting the urge to blush.

Fernando holds the embroidered black overcoat tighter around himself. “This is a special occasion,” he mumbles. “Why don’t you sit down. Here, follow me.”

There is a small alcove hidden by another statue. The space is small, with one window high above them and a narrow wooden bench where they have to sit so close together that their shoulders keep brushing.

“You left in such a hurry last time,” Fernando says.

“Sorry. I didn’t think you’d appreciate me sticking around.”

“You’re so brave and yet you’re the most insane person I’ve met, you make things interesting,” Fernando smiles. “Of course I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Would you, uh,” Sergio clears his throat, “let me steal another kiss?”

“I thought you said you weren’t a thief,” Fernando smiles and leans in press his lips to Sergio’s.

The world around them melts away and Sergio gets lost in the moment, enjoying Fernando’s closeness.

They eventually have to pull away to take in a breath. “Hey, Fernando?”

“Hmm?”

“How did the king learn about my sister?”

“The king is the prince’s brother.” Fernando’s flushing, his laughter turning a bit embarrassed and he avoids Sergio’s eyes as he says, “You’ve never met the prince, did you.”

“Never,” Sergio agrees.

Fernando’s hand tightens on his for a moment and then Fernando is pulling him up. “C’mon, I’ll show you something.”

Sergio follows without a hesitation. “Where are we going?”

“There is a gallery with the portraits of the royal family in the hallway upstairs,” Fernando says and he sounds almost gleeful.

Sergio follows, because at this point he’d follow Fernando anywhere. “Do you know what he’s like? The prince,” Sergio wonders.

Fernando bites on his lip. “I hear that every now and then he likes to dress as a commoner to mingle with the people of the castle.”

They don’t even make it at the top of the staircase when there is a muffled sound of a bell ringing from the chapel.

“Oh no,” Fernando says, coming to a halt.

“What is it?”

“The ceremony is about to begin,” he says and his eyes are boring into Sergio’s like he’s dying to say something but doesn’t have the time to do it.

They rush down the stairs and Fernando leads them through the maze of halls until they are standing close to a huge wooden door that is still open and the last invited guests are trailing inside.

Fernando stops right there. “Go on,” he urges Sergio.

“What about you?” Sergio asks before realizing the problem and biting on his tongue.

“I – can’t,” Fernando says, eyes downcast.

Of course he can’t go in with Sergio, stable boys who let the prince’s horses get stolen would be hardly welcome at such an event. Sergio hates making Fernando feel like that. He quickly casts a glance around but they are still far away and no one can see them where they are standing. Fernando surely knows his way around the castle.

He reaches his hand to cup Fernando’s face and holds his head up. He searches his eyes, fighting the urge to lean in close and steal more kisses. “Talk to you later?” Sergio ventures.

“Where do I meet you?”

“The roof of the priest’s house?” Sergio suggests.

Fernando lets out a chuckle. “Yes, yes, that would be brilliant.” He pulls away from Sergio but then he pauses and shoots Sergio another uncertain look. “Please be there.”

“I promise I’ll be there.”

Fernando smiles but his eyes are still worried. Sergio doesn’t get the chance to dismiss the worry before Fernando shoves him away to join the ceremony. “Your sister would never forgive you if you missed it,” Fernando says.

Sergio slips into the room, finding the rest of the family and joining them quickly. So far, no one has made a grab for him, no one is giving him suspicious looks, no one looks like they’re instructed to throw Sergio to the dungeons.

As the ceremony goes on, Sergio relaxes.

Miriam and her fiancé look quite stunning, both glowing with happiness. It’s a great honour to have their upcoming marriage approved by the king, even though no one really _has to_ ask the king’s permission anymore.

The king talks for a while and then he beckons to the guards at the door to let in the prince and then the door is opened and Fernando walks in. He’s attired in the embodied black overcoat but beneath it is beautiful and intricate regalia and silk surcoat. He’s also wearing a square crown adorned with jewels. With the way Fernando carries himself, Sergio doesn’t know how he ever thought him to be a commoner. He’s been so blind.

Sergio gapes at him. Fernando keeps looking ahead, focused on the king. He bows and holds up a box from which the king takes out a familiar golden locket. It’s their family heirloom and Sergio can hear Miriam’s startled gasp carry across the hall.

The king says something about it being a “token of his gratitude” and hands it to Miriam, who clutches it in her hand so hard her knuckles go white. Just like that, the locket is rightfully back where it should be.

Sergio stares at the scene, realizing he’s absolutely screwed. Where is the blasted horse when he needs one to beat a hasty retreat?

Over the crowd, Fernando’s eyes find his and Sergio can see the worry still clearly in his eyes.

He takes in a breath and with a pounding heart, he jerks his head subtly in the direction of the priest’s house, then he sends Fernando a wink.

Fernando closes the box, shakes Miriam’s hand and tries to keep a solemn face on as he joins the king’s men at the side of the throne. Sergio can see him biting his lips and fidgeting with impatience.

The ceremony couldn’t finish soon enough.


End file.
